Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year Everyone! Here's hoping it is happy and healthy for all of us.

I've decided to take the Knit From Your Stash 2007 pledge. God knows I have enough yarn to keep me going for a few years. And He knows I can't afford to buy anything. Here are the rules. Number 3 is my favorite!

1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.

2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:

2.a. Sock yarn does not count. What? You think we are made of stone?

2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, we may buy yarn to knit that gift.

2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project.

2.d. We each get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- we are each allowed to fall off the wagon one time.

3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn.

4. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt.

I am going to try SO hard!

Gonna go toast the New Year now. It's 11:57pm. See you next year!

Christmas goodies!

Here are some pictures of the wonderful gifts I received from my family. This first was next to my stocking and is very appropriate. LOL!



I was sure this next gift was a mistake. My sister is the self appointed "purple person" of the family. But Mom must've noticed that I like it too. Plus this one has MY color in the border. Pink!



My SIL Mary gave me a bag full of knitting notions and the little scissors and nippers. Not bad from someone who professes to know nothing about knitting. The movies are from my nephew Seth. Just the ones I wanted!



The Cat Who book is also from Mary and the Redwall cookbook (which I love!) is from nephew Alec. The basket and muffin mixes are from him too. Last year's basket was full of hot chocolate mixes. He does wonderful basket gifts!





The knitting books are from Santa. :o)



At last a timer I can actually hear when I'm not in the kitchen! I can even bring it into the studio if I want to. Til now the only kitchen timer we had was in the microwave.



In this last one look at the egg and the tea light lamps on either side. The Santa and angel and reindeer are from Christmases past. They all have different quilt designs painted on them and are so beautiful!



There is also a big box of lace bolt ends from my Sis but every time I go to take a picture it is occupied by a cat. But you will see the curtains the lace will become. Most edible gifts are, um, no longer photographable. LOL!

That's it for now. My hands are hurting from 2 days of no knitting. So I am casting on tonight! See everyone next year!

Christmas dinner

It was a wonderful Christmas day! I'm too tired to take pics of gifts until tomorrow. But here are a couple from dinner. Dinner went very well. The prime rib was perfect, the cabernet gravy came out lovely, the veggies were roasted just right and Mary's lemon cheesecake was the best ever. Someone hid the pecan pie before it could be cut. :oD



From left to right are my sister-in-law Mary, my Mom, my dear Alex, and nephews Seth and Alec. We call him Zander so he and DH don't both turn around when someone says Alex.



That's Mary's scrumptious lemon cheesecake and the pecan pie that is now mine, all mine!

That's it for tonight. More tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I am still doing a little wrapping. Was up all night baking and making candy. I am filling jars with peanut brittle right now.



My brother and his wife were just here for a visit. He has several acres of almond and walnut trees and Angie is working on a plan to market the nuts and almond flour. They brought me a sample for Christmas. We rounded up all the gifts we've had for them for the last few Christmases we haven't seen them. They got a kick out of that!

I hope y'all have been able to see "Christmas in Yellowstone" on PBS's Nature. Truly beautiful, wonderful and awesome! I've only been to Yellowstone once in my life. I was a teenager in 10th grade, traveling cross country with 2 Girl Scouts, 1 Boy Scout and the troop leaders (Mr. & Mrs. Cicacci). It was an awesome trip with many wonderful memories.

Well my fudge didn't set, darnit! It's a microwave recipe using marshmallows and chocolate chips. Always use FRESH ingredients! Old chocolate chips don't like to melt. Didn't get my cookies made either. But Mary always makes plenty. I'll make mine after Christmas.

Well, time to make a better batch of fudge before bed. Merry Christmas to ALL and to ALL a good night!

Almost ready!

Finished Alex's fingertip-less gloves finally. I borrowed a not-quite-cable stitch from a sock pattern for the back of each glove so there would be a definite right & left, and they don't look so plain. It was a fun project but there has just got to be a way to join the fingers without leaving that hole between them! I really don't like sewing up at all. So, here they are!



Now it's time to make cookies and a fruitcake for mom and some nut brittle and maybe even some caramel corn. And I have to go out and find some stocking stuffers. And I need to quick mail a package to my cyber twin Laura. And... and...

As soon as the tree is all decorated I'll post a picture. Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!

And then there were...

Two! Seth's pair of socks, finished one by one.



And Zander's socks. Twins! Born at the same time on the same needle. How cool is that!



And now on the circular needle, thumbs and pinkies for some finger tip-less gloves for my dear gardener. Can you say marathon knitting? :o)



Ok. Duty done. Off to bed! Hugs y'all!

Sock(s) for Seth

This is the blueberry waffle pattern in dk weight. Took 2 days and I am starting the second sock tonight. Hope he likes them!

Felting!

I almost forgot to take a before picture of the oven mitts, Some were already in the washer. But here are the rest of them.



Here they are after felting. The mitts are all standing up in a little forrest so I would still have room for the pot holders, which refuse to lie flat anyway. And they all need a good shave.



I wonder if there are any rules about pressing a felted item with an iron? I'm going to try it on the pot holders. I'll let you know if it helps.

Next? Socks I think. Need to knit some gauntlets, fingerless gloves and crochet some coasters too. Then there's the kitchen stuff. Oy!

Is it getting chilly?

I am knitting like mad! I will show some results in a post tomorrow. In the meantime thought you might enjoy this. This is Alex, all comfy and warm in my chair. If it's a 3 cat night in the living room with the heat on then I guess it will be a 5 or 6 cat night in bed. :o)



And of course Percy, my little golden eyed shadow, had to come out and see what Mom was up to.



More later!